


Being Bound

by Aurora_Arcanum



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Bound Together, M/M, Ravenclaw, Slytherin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2018-09-13 20:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9140299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurora_Arcanum/pseuds/Aurora_Arcanum
Summary: Well, of course did Jongin have to get into an accident during potions. And, naturally, it ends with him being bounded to another student. A Slytherin student no less. Sehun is mute, but soon enough Jongin finds out that he is quite talkative for a mute snake.





	1. The beginning

 

 

Jongin rubbed his temples, trying to suppress the headache that was beginning to form. In vain. The seventh year Ravenclaw student couldn’t even begin to understand why this was happening to him and how and just why _him_ and why _that_ boy from Slytherin.

It didn’t even make sense as the brunet was absolutely confident about his Potion making skills. Just… this time something appeared to have gone wrong. And it’s driving Jongin nuts. Perhaps, he should have stopped with the potion making when he realised that the usual scent of gingerbread had a tad bit too much of cinnamon there.  
Or when the usually deep purple liquid was lighter than it was supposed to be. But neither him nor his partner had deemed it as dangerous and just continued with the instructions of their book.  
And then…

Boom.

The unicorn hair had dissolved in the substance, but instead of the bubbles they had anticipated the whole thing just exploded all around them and tinged them in a strange purplish light that faded after a few heartbeats.  
At first, everything appeared to be normal.  
Jongin had looked at the blonde boy next to him, who looked just as shocked as him but then they had both shrugged. They had failed.  
Okay.  
They would just try again.  
But then…  
When they were trying to set up the cauldron anew they realised pretty quickly that something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

/why is he not stirring counter-clockwise… that’s prolly why the whole thing exploded./

There had been a voice in his head.  
A voice that was definitely not his own and that he had never heard before and definitely shouldn’t be there and comment on his potion stirring.  
Stirring it clockwise was absolutely okay here, Jongin grumbled but… against better judgement started to stir it the other way around.

/Thank goodness, that boy _has_ a brain/

Strange, right?

Jongin had thought exactly the same. And now imagine his utter surprise when it was revealed later by their Potions professor that it had actually been Sehun’s voice in his head.  
Sehun’s.  
His partner for Potions, from the Slytherin House they shared this class with. Tall, athletic built and a really sharp jawline that gave him an almost noble look.  
Yet, everyone dreaded to work with this guy. And the Ravenclaw had easily understood why. He was cold, barely smiled and…  
He couldn’t talk.  
Sehun was mute and that made working as team members that much harder because no one knew any sign language here. And if they did they probably didn’t want to approach the guy who always frowned at everyone and everything.

Which brings Jongin back to his current dilemma.

According to his professor, whom he trusted very much and absolutely respected his intellect, they just got bonded.  
Bonded.  
By a potion gone wrong that kind of latched onto the first two persons around and connecting something between them… that shouldn’t be connected.  
But now it had happened and the results were utterly terrifying, if Jongin was honest.  
Not only did they now share a link in their brains… no it apparently would feel uncomfortable for them to stay apart for too long.

“Great” Jongin had groaned in annoyance and utter defeat  
“Just great. So… Professor, you are saying that we are stuck with each other, hearing each other’s thoughts if we don’t protect them… until when exactly?”  
Professor Wu folded his arms over his chest, a worried expression written all over his face.  
“Correct. Though I would like to offer you another answer, but… you summed it up pretty well, Kim” the man nodded and let out a sigh.  
He didn’t look too troubled however, which pissed Jongin of greatly.  
His whole life just got turned upside down and his professor was just shrugging his shoulders??  
“About that. I will need to brew an anti-potion. It’s going to be a complex thing to brew… so I guess that at least one full moon phase will be needed? Maximum three I would say now, but I will need you two to write me reports about how the bond is working. How you perceive it so I can work on the best antidote for you.”

The Ravenclaw student saw his life shattering to pieces in that very moment.  
He was going to be chained to the Slytherin boy no one dared to approach – whom people knew nothing about.  
And not just for a few hours.  
For three months if things went wrong. And from what Jongin learned that day… things loved to go wrong for him.

/It’s because you stirred clockwise the first time/  
The brunet hissed under his breath. That was utterly unfair. He didn’t even know how to reply to the Slytherin’s attempts at conversation. Did he just? Think?  
A snicker suddenly echoed in the back of his mind and he whipped his head around to see the blonde smirking at him. So the other could already hear what he was thinking?  
Merlin’s beard. He needed to block his mind from Sehun’s prying one! But how?  
/Just don’t let me in, Jongin/

Another growl left his throat. It was already bloody wicked to have a conversation with someone who was actually mute. Who wasn’t capable of speaking and voicing his thoughts.  
But of course…  
Sehun was full of sass and confidence.

Just. Bloody. Brilliant.

Jongin was utterly convinced that he would lose his mind and become addicted to Fire Whiskey before even the first month of this torture was over.  
Professor Wu just patted their shoulders and gave them an encouraging smile, promising to get to work as soon as possible and informing the Headmaster about their peculiar situation.

Wonderful.  
Jongin could just hope that it would stay between them. He didn’t want anyone to know that he was bonded to a Slytherin just because he couldn’t _stir_.

A small chuckle was heard in the back of his mind.  
The coming months were going to be wonderful.

 

⚡⚡⚡

Jongin whined loudly as his dearest best friend patted his shoulders in what was clearly mock-pity. Lee Taemin was not able to experess real pity or any other emotion that wasn’t ‘devilish’. (Which was an exaggeration of course, but sometimes, sometimes Jongin really thought that Taemin was sent form the pits of hell to torment him. He loved him anyway.)  
They were currently seated in the Great Hall, his best friend ignoring all the whispers coming from the Ravenclaw table as he was clearly not one of them.  
The elder was from Slytherin House - just like Sehun – and maybe the brunet should have ended their long lasting friendship the moment Taemin had been sorted to join the snakes but…  
Jongin obviously wouldn’t have done that.  
He had always known that his best friend loved to see him suffer, and if he was honest, he was used to it by now anyway.  
It would be weird if it would be any other way.

So he should have expected this to happen. The taunting that was on its way right now… but it still mortified him. Why had he even told the other of his predicament?  
Right, because best friends were supposed to stick together. Emphasis on _supposed_ to.

“So let me get this straight,” Taemin said, the corner of his lips pulled up into a mischievous smirk “you got yourself in yet another ridiculous situation Kim Jongin. You triggered a hidden bonding magic of a potion that was actually supposed to do something totally different and now you are connected to Slytherin’s Mute Prince.”  
Jongin let out another whine.  
His way to say that, yes, sadly the other was absolutely correct. Bloody hell. It sounded worse every time that someone repeated it.  
It has only been one day since it happened but…  
Jongin was still at a loss about what he was supposed to do.

/Do they really call me that? Mute Slytherin Prince?/

Jongin blinked, lifting his head from the table where he had previously placed it to hide his red cheeks.  
He still wasn’t used to that. And he still hadn’t managed to keep his thoughts closed off, no matter how hard he tried. Sehun could just open up any locks he placed.  
And that was plain _unfair_.  
“Uhm.” He tilted his head, looking to the table right across theirs to find Sehun looking into his direction  
Damn. It had really been him. Sometimes the brunet thought that his mind was playing tricks on him. Sadly, it didn’t seem to be the case.  
“Sehun asks if you really call him that when he is not there” he turned back to his friend then, watching as Taemin’s eyes went wide.  
“What?” he asked, a little annoyed.  
Why was he doing this even? Well, probably because he had already discovered that Sehun was quite talkative for a mute during last night.  
Jongin immediately cringed when he caught himself thinking that. That had been completely insensitive to say. Or think.  
It wasn’t the blonde’s fault that he was disabled in that way and it was absolutely terrible of Jongin to judge him because of that.

“You really weren’t joking, right? Damn, you and Sehun can read each other’s minds now?”  
Taemin looked utterly flabbergasted, his eyes darting from one to the other.  
“That’s what I have been telling you for the whole afternoon, Tae. Yes, he can read my thoughts and we can communicate. So would you please answer the question before he starts bugging me?” the younger complained and tried yet again to find any way of blocking the blonde Slytherin out of his mind.  
To no avail.  
He still felt Sehun lingering there, waiting for any kind of information that would seep through.  
By Rowena’s Brains, that was actually creepy and terrifying. He literally _felt_ Sehun’s presence. In his mind.  
Waiting. He could even swear that the other male ‘felt’ kind of impatient.

Bloody hell, this really was getting to his head.  
Maybe Jongin should just sleep until the three months were over. Sadly, the Ravenclaw didn’t need his wisdom to know that that wasn’t possible. But he had already survived one day, how bad could be 89 more?

Right. Very bad.

Taemin finally seemed to find his composure again and nodded.  
“Yeah. Some do. Especially the underclassmen though. They don’t know that he is… you know? Mute.”  
That confused Jongin. They called him mute without even knowing that the Slytherin boy really was disabled? Wicked.  
“It’s kind of funny right? They all think he doesn’t talk because he is a stuck up pureblood heir, yada yada.” the male shrugged his shoulders  
“So that name came up. But no one of us elders told them that he is really mute. It’s not our business. And we snakes don’t meddle with each other’s business”

Jongin pulled up his eyebrows at that  
“But you meddle with mine quite a lot.” He pointed out and that got him a pat on his shoulder and a smirking Taemin  
“Bro.” he started “Of course I meddle with your affairs. You’re my best friend and you’re not a snake. We only respect the privacy of fellow snakes.”  
“How considerate of you” Jongin deadpanned, but the elder wasn’t fazed by that and continued to grin smugly  
“I know. You love me.”  
“Go to hell.”

 

⚡⚡⚡

It wasn’t until Jongin went back to his own dormitory that he remembered that he actually hadn’t told Sehun the answer. But the other hadn’t bothered him either about it, which was probably why he had forgotten about it in the first place.

/Hey? Are you there?/  
Jongin still hadn’t gotten the hang of it, but when Sehun’s presence became more prominent in the back of his mind he knew at least that the other was listening.

/Well. This is my mind you are invading so it’s kind of weird to ask if I am ‘there’/  
Jongin scrunched up his nose at that.  
/Can you stop being like this? You know what I meant…/ the Ravenclaw answered and leaned against the pillar that was the closest to their portrait.  
He was too busy concentrating on their conversation to solve the riddle of their dormitory now.

/Taemin said that the underclassmen call you like that and that they don’t know that you are mute. They think you’re a stuck up pureblood or something/  
No answer came back for a while.  
Silence was hanging over him like a dark cloud and Jongin didn’t even dare to breathe as he waited for the Slytherin to answer.  
/Yeah I heard that when you thought about it/  
Jongin let out a sigh of relief when the blonde finally replied, feeling a little lighter out of the blue.  
/You didn’t need to ask him, by the way. Even if I… bother you, apparently./

The brunet’s eyes went wide.  
_Oh Merlin!_  
The other had heard that?  
/You are not good at hiding your thoughts you know. But I won’t bother … you anymore/  
And then the presence in the back of his mind grew fainter, until he could barely feel the other anymore.  
“No!” Jongin let out, not realising that Sehun clearly couldn’t hear him like that. Their connection was between their minds and if he didn’t send his thoughts into the direction of the other then the Slytherin boy was clearly not able to hear or feel what was going on.  
Shit, Jongin really needed to get a hang of this!!

/Sehun. No. It’s okay. I’m just overwhelmed by this shit/ the Ravenclaw tried to get this message across, focusing on the very faint presence of the other in his mind and repeating the same words again and again.  
Would they reach him?  
Even if the Slytherin might be blocking him right now? He had to try it. Because Jongin was a soft hearted person and he never wanted to upset the other in any way.  
It had been the truth  
The whole thing was just? Utterly overwhelming for the seventeen – year - old. He should actually be worrying about his N.E.W.T.s and how he should juggle his studies with his Quidditch practice, but now he was also faced with a magical problem.  
That bond.

The bond that was obviously not working for him right now as he wasn’t getting any answer from the other. So Jongin could either really not get through the others blockade, or the Slytherin was just really good in ignoring him and his countless repetition.  
Jongin sighed.  
Damn, he was really developing a headache right now. All of this drama going on… maybe he should be drinking more water. Or Pumpkin Juice.  
Did Sehun like pumpkin juice?  
The brunet obviously knew next to nothing about the other seventh year student as he had to confess that almost no House tended to mingle too much outside of their doors.  
But… this pounding in his head was really becoming a hassle.  
And just when he was about to reach out and knock on the portrait to receive his riddle that would let him access their common room did a shiver run down his spine as Sehun’s presence returned in his mind.  
/I… don’t. …?Like Pumpkin Juice./ he started and Jongin wondered for a moment if everything was alright with the other or if he was maybe suffering form that ridiculous headache as well.  
Maybe it was another bad side effect of the potion gone wrong.  
/Can… we meet up…?/ Sehun’s voice definitely sounded strained and that got Jongin slightly worried  
/right now?/  
/Yes./  
/Astronomy Tower?/ Jongin suggested as they would probably have some space for themselves there  
/Yeah./

The brunet turned on his heels, ignoring the upset frown of their portrait and made his way to the other side of the castle, his black robe fluttering as he hurried down the steps of the Ravenclaw tower to meet up with Sehun.  
There was a weird feeling in his stomach. It was a kind of queasy feeling, although Jongin guessed that there was nothing he needed to be afraid of.  
Sehun was a Slytherin student yes, but the days where Slytherin automatically meant Death Eater were long gone.  
Which was a good thing of course. The brunet didn’t even want to imagine how their world would look like in case Voldemort was still alive or had _won_.  
A shiver ran down his spine at that thought – would he even be alive then? Jongin was a half - blood after all and the dark lord’s preference for Purebloods was widely known, even now.

The Ravenclaw shook his head. He should stop having such thoughts. He was gone anyway – so there was no use in worrying about possible _ifs_.  
Something he hadn’t expected though, was the overwhelming feeling of relief that washed over him when his eyes caught sight of the tall Slytherin student, waiting patiently for him. The taller was leaning against one of the many pillars of the hallway, his eyes going wide a little when their gazes locked, before he got into motion and stopped only a step away from Jongin.  
They both let out little sighs.  
What was even happening to them?  
Sehun didn’t say anything through their link, just raised his hand. He was trembling, Jongin noted.  
Why?  
But everything just fell into place once Sehun took his hand in his own.

Suddenly, everything was better. Warm.  
And the headache he hadn’t really given thought to before all but dissipated.

“What happened?” Jongin let out, eyes wide in wonder  
/I don’t know/ came Sehun’s reply in his mind as the Ravencalw realised again that this was the taller male’s only way to communicate with him.  
Jongin felt inconsiderate.  
/But I think it’s the stupid Bonding thing. Don’t you remember Professor Wu saying that we can’t stay too far apart for too long? I…/  
The blonde seemed to grumble as he folded his arms over his chest, a pout on his lips. The brunet thought that the way his lips pursed was absolutely adorable.  
/The headache was annoying. I couldn’t even concentrate on my Transfiguration assignment./

Jongin found himself smiling.  
He didn’t even really know why, but he just did. He realised that he was probably the first person to whom Sehun could talk like that.  
The first person who was actually able to _listen_ to the blonde Slytherin student.

“That’s okay.” He hummed and let out a whine right after when he noticed that he had yet again forgotten to use the link between them.  
/Sorry. If you want to we can pick up our stuff and do some work here? I need to do Ancient Runes./  
At that Sehun raised an eyebrow in suspicion.  
/You attend Ancient Runes. Voluntarily?/ the disbelief was clearly evident in the taller’s voice as he said that, his eyes fixed on the brunet.  
Jongin shrugged his shoulders.  
/What can I say. I like it?/  
/Ancient Runes?/  
/Y-yeah?/ Was that a weird thing? Yeah, okay, Taemin had kind of thrown the party of the century the moment they entered sixth year where they could choose their courses freely and he could dismiss Ancient Runes from his life forever.  
So perhaps, Jongin was a little on the weird side.

The brunet blinked when a brilliant laugh suddenly echoed through his mind.  
/Maybe you aren’t so bad./ Sehun snickered through their connection and Jongin found himself blushing.  
/Maybe…/

Maybe being connected to the Slytherin wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened to him. Maybe they could make this work and somehow survive the three months they were stuck together.  
Perhaps.  
Jongin would definitely try.

**End of Part One**


	2. Two

 

The amazing thing was that they seemed to manage just fine.  
It had been a month by now and they had gotten used to the bond being between them. It was a whimsical and fickle little thing that demanded more attention than the both of them had guessed, but they made do with what they had.  
Sehun was easier to be around than Jongin had ever though. The Slytherin was funny, albeit sometimes snarky and his sarcasm was something the Ravenclaw quickly grew addicted to.

Just like the voice that could invade his mind any time, as long as they weren’t too far apart. It was still hard for the Ravenclaw to do the same to the taller, but he had made progress.  
If he concentrated hard enough, he could reach the mind of the student bound to his own. It was still a mystery to him how the other had managed this feat so effortlessly, but the Slytherin still didn’t want to offer any insight on this.  
And Jongin knew better than to press him.

The thing with the bond was that it required them to touch at least once a day. Hand-holding mostly did the deal, but if they resisted for too long they were faced with headaches and other physical pains. Jongin and Sehun had learned that the hard way.  
Not just in their first week when they had tackled this problem – but the blonde had left the school premises for a weekend and the Ravenclaw was proud to announce that they had both decided on even ground to never do that again as long as they were in this condition.

Jongin had almost puked his soul out of his body.

Sehun’s skin had looked almost translucent, the fever that had latched on to him lasting until a day after they had ‘reunited’.  
But since then they had grown more careful. They met up every evening for their homework sessions, holding hands or leaning back to back while they were doing research or comparing their assignments.  
They survived.  
And it really wasn’t that bad – he had to do his homework anyway. Sneaking to the Astronomy Tower was a risk yes, but he was not chosen for Ravenclaw for nothing. He found a way. And to say that Sehun had no qualms about defying rules in order to get something he wanted was superfluous, right? Besides, they could always bring up Professor Wu if things would go down the drain. He was involved in their mess after all and would probably vouch for them. They only wanted to get this over with in peace and not have other students asking questions. Taemin, Jongin’s best friend knew of the events, but that was it.  
And he really didn’t want people after him or Sehun, if they suddenly saw them studying together every day, holding hands or being generally pretty intimate with each other.  
Their condition was supposed to stay secret – and so they rather hid away.

“What about this one?” Jongin nudged the male currently leaning against his back with his own, immersed into their potion books. Sehun shifted, turning his head to let his eyes wander over the page.  
/Sounds pretty complicated to me/ he muttered in their link that Jongin forgot to use all the time. Perhaps that was also a reason why he was only slowly improving with this feat of their magical bond.  
/I’m up for it. But are you sure you can keep up? This is a high level potion./ Sehun teased and the Ravenclaw hissed at him, poking him in the ribs with his elbow.  
“Sod off, will you! I have an E in Potions, thank you very much. That was one time! Okay, one time!”  
/That you blew something up and it ended with us getting bound together?/  
Jongin grumbled at that, but thanks to the playful tone hidden among those words he knew not to feel insulted. By now he could read and understand the Slytherin much better and well… Sehun wasn’t really good with words – probably because he could not talk and he was like a toddler learning how to communicate from scratch.

“One time! Will you stop holding it against me, huh?” Jongin pouted and tapped his fingers on the page of the book again where the potion was described.  
“I think it’s good. No idea why they let us work together again after the last time, but Professor Wu told us to choose an adequate recipe, right?” he shrugged his shoulders and watched Sehun do the same.  
“So, this is an advanced potion. If we pull it off and don’t fuck up the essay about it later, I’m sure we’ll pass his class. Even with… that incident…” Jongin concluded and cleared his throat nervously.  
He was kind of glad that Sehun saw the whole accident as a joke by now.  
It would only last three months after all, right?

Then their bond could be revoked – and they wouldn’t have to spend that much time together anymore. And Jongin wouldn’t have a snarky Slytherin in his head, teasing him day in and day out.

Two more months to go. Sehun would probably be glad to be rid of him by then as well.

/Fine. You win. We will do this your way. But leave the actual brewing to me/ Jongin growled lowly in his throat at the smirk that he received from the other.  
Sehun really did not believe him that he had an E in potions. He might not be too fond of the subject, but he studied hard.  
And he got by.  
/Oh Sehun!/  
The chuckle that drifted to him through their mind link made him stop before he could seriously hit the other in his playful rage. The sound made him rigid, his eyes taking in the Slytherin’s amused face. How he was trying to stifle the laugh, his hand shielding his mouth.  
The sound that he heard was not ringing in his ears.  
It was only in his head.

Jongin dropped his hand, smiling slightly at the other student. How anyone ever thought that the other was an arrogant bastard was beyond him. He was just like them.  
Only that he could not speak.  
And was slightly afraid of getting attached to people.

/See, I just have to push you enough and then you suddenly know how to get through/ the Slytherin hummed in their mind link and Jongin sputtered  
“You are! Just!”  
Sehun smirked, his body now fully turned to him. His blonde hair fell over his dark eyes and he looked even more mischievous like that.  
Just like someone might imagine 'the Slytherin prince'. But Jongin knew Sehun too well now for this kind of game to work.  
“By Rowena, you’re really the worst. Don’t try that face with me, I’m not going to fall for it like those first-year students who swoon at you.” He grumbled and Sehun wagged his brows at him.  
/It’s just harder to breach your defences up there/ Jongin said and knocked with his index finger against the Slytherin’s forehead.  
/It’s like your door is really heavy or something like that. Don’t you have to put in some effort when you want to open the link to me?/

The other seemed to consider the question for a moment, tilting his head.  
Jongin was really curious about that answer – in the beginning he hadn’t been able to breach Sehun’s defences at all. It was better now, but it still took a lot of effort from him if he was honest.

/No./ the other answered then, their eyes meeting again.  
It wasn’t that easy to read the Slytherin student, but in this moment Jongin was fairly sure that Sehun was telling him nothing but the truth.  
/It’s not hard. I just… think in your direction. And as you can hear me… this seems to do the trick. Sorry there, mate./

Jongin let out a sigh at this.  
“Okay, so I’m just naturally bad at this. Great.” He muttered, blinking a moment later when a warm hand fell on his thigh, squeezing it  
/Don’t beat yourself up about it. We’re all different./

The Ravenclaw mustered up a smile at that and nodded.  
“You’re right. So, up to brew this love potion tomorrow?” he asked and was met with a bright grin in return  
/You bet!/

⚡⚡⚡

“Morning” Taemin greeted him just like every morning, waving at him from where he was seated.  
Jongin dropped down next to him, ignoring all rules about Houses staying divided and what not. As long as none of the Professors called him out on it, he didn’t see why he should stop.  
Definitely a trait that his Slytherin friends had planted in him.

“Morning. Did you come up with a Potion to brew?” he asked, feeling quite proud that he and Sehun had found something that would work well. They had gone through the instructions yesterday night, making small notes and exchanging opinions until they felt ready to tackle it.  
Working with Sehun was definitely pleasant – Jongin could not complain there.  
The only thing that was annoying about the whole fact was the way his best friend kept smirking at him.  
“Don’t worry about me. I’m paired with some Ravenclaw so I don’t really have to worry about that.” he waved his hand dismissively.  
Lazy prat, Jongin thought and rolled his eyes at his friend.  
“But you’re doing well with Sehun, huh? How does it feel now? A month of being bound, spending romantic evenings together~”  
Jongin whined at that.  
And here they were again. Taemin could never drop that.  
“Taemin. Please. We’ve been through this…”

His friend chuckled and then took a bite of his toast with jam.  
“Why not, though?”  
Jongin looked up, meeting his best friend’s eyes again.  
“Why not what?” he asked, blinking as he could not wrap his head around that statement right now.  
“You and Sehun.” Taemin said easily, shrugging his shoulders  
“You’re getting along rather well. He’s handsome, from a pureblood family…”

Jongin sneered at that.  
“You know that’s really not something I care about…”  
“Just saying. I don’t see why not.”

Jongin swallowed heavily at that. How had they come to this now?  
“Taem… I’ve only known him for a month…”

His best friend grinned at that.  
“Well, that’s not a no then.”

With that Taemin left him to ponder these words alone.

⚡⚡⚡

/Who is a lazy prat?/  
Jongin nearly jumped up from his seat, a yelp leaving him as Sehun joined him at their designated desk in the potion’s classroom. His bag dropped down on the floor and he retrieved parchment and ink as well as his quill.  
Jongin had his potions book out already, as well as the notes they had taken yesterday evening.  
“Don’t scare me like that!” he protested and ruffled his dark hair.  
Sehun just smirked smugly at him.

/And how did you manage to read my thoughts again?!/ he narrowed his brows, glowering at the taller who shrugged his shoulders trying to look all innocent.  
Only that he wasn’t.  
/It was an accident. I swear. I wanted to talk to you and wish you a good morning when that thought drifted over./ the blonde explained and Jongin decided to buy it for now.  
This whole thing with their bond was still mostly a mystery to him and he wouldn’t be surprised if they kept finding out more as time passes.  
They would need to see.  
“Fine… I get the ingredients and you prepare the cauldron, alright?”  
A nod and Jongin went into the backroom where the different substances were kept, their notes in his hand so that he could check that he got everything they needed.

Sehun would handle the cauldron just fine – if he could believe the Slytherin that he really had an O in this class. But he didn’t see why Sehun would lie to him.  
The Slytherin had no reason to and he seemed pretty confident when brewing up potions or remedies so Jongin felt reassured as well.  
He grabbed the last vial with a dark purple liquid in it, and emerged from the backroom, his eyes landing on the blonde in the matter of seconds.  
Professor Wu was late as always but in their year they were expected to work on their own and not blow things up – but that wasn’t what caught him off guard.  
It was the fact that Sehun was surrounded by three other students who seemed less than friendly. He approached quickly, shoving one of the Ravenclaws aside and taking his place next to Sehun.

“What’s going on here?” he demanded, his eyes wandering from one student to the next.  
/It’s alright, Jongin. Don’t bother./  
The brunet narrowed his eyes at Sehun’s tired voice. And he certainly would not let that be.  
“This guy here took our bronze cauldron” said one of the guys “Because he was too lazy to go up there and take one from the shelves. I saw him. But he acts like nothing is wrong!”  
Jongin scrunched up his nose.  
“That’s it? That’s the reason why you are ganging up on him now?” the Ravenclaw student couldn’t really believe it as it seemed like an utterly stupid reason.  
But people were different, he mused and remembered Sehun’s words from yesterday. And this kind of people apparently got offended pretty easily.  
“Besides, he keeps looking at me ‘that’ way. As if he is better than me.” said the tallest of the three guys, a Ravenclaw student with short, reddish hair. His two other minions had dark hair, one really short and one lanky, freckles dotting his skin.  
Jongin couldn’t say he remembered their faces from anywhere.  
“Sehun isn’t like that. You’re imagining things!”

He heard his friend grumbled in their mind link.  
/You know, I can fight my own battles, Jongin/  
No he could not. Jongin wanted to argue back, tell him that he was mute and could not get his point across, but then it occurred to him that their bond barely existed for a month and that the other had survived without him before that.  
And would after that.  
Still. Jongin was already involved now.  
“Whatever.” Said the lanky guy and pointed at the cauldron that was located on their desk, a ladle already placed inside.  
“He still took the cauldron we picked out before.”

The brunet grunted at that and turned to Sehun. He was a Slytherin. Perhaps he did take it?  
Just to teach them a lesson. It wasn’t like he had stolen their sisters or anything.  
/Did you take it?/ he asked, tilting his head before he realised that those three guys might get suspicious if they stayed mum with each other.  
“Did you?”

The blonde looked at him, eyes wide with disbelief.  
But the look passed as quickly as it had come and the other shook his head, adding a /I did not/ through their link and Jongin felt his sincerity. He literally felt it as the words hit him and he couldn’t help but grin.  
Of course he didn’t.  
It would be a petty thing to do anyway.  
He turned around again, satisfied with what he knew now and addressed the three Ravenclaws who were still glaring at the blonde.  
  
“He says he didn’t do it. So, you either leave us alone right now, or I will bring this to Professor Wu!”  
But all that he got in response were loud laughter from the three students and hushed whispers from those not involved in this.  
No one stepped in – they just watched. Slytherins and Ravenclaws were no Gryffindors who loved to play heroes. They didn’t risk their own hide as easily as Lions or Badgers.  
“And then what, Kim? This guy over there took something from us and he can’t even say sorry! No matter that he is mute. He probably isn’t!” they snickered loudly, one of them pushing Sehun harshly by his shoulder  
/Fucker./

“He is mute! How the hell should he apologise, huh? Are you out of your minds?!” Jongin threw back, hands balled into fists. His whole body was tense by now, trying to stand in front of Sehun who was the object of their bullying.  
He would not let this happen. Never.  
“Uhhhh~~,” the tallest of the guys wagged his eyebrows “Trying to defend the mute prince, huh? What do you get in return for that? Does he let you ride his dick real good Kim? Or is it the other way around? Never saw you flinch while riding a broom in the morning.” They shared another chuckle, the smallest patting the shoulder of the big bully as if coming up with that was his biggest achievement.  
It probably was.  
“Is he a good lay? He has a handsome face, I have to give him that!”

Jongin pounced.  
He growled as he brought his arms up, ready to shove that guy or wrestle him down if he had to. Only that the bully saw that coming and, twisting his arm as he caught him in his movement, caused him to cry out in pain before he pushed him to the ground instead.  
“Nice try, faggot.”

/I’ll kill him./  
Jongin’s head whipped around, focusing on his blonde-haired friend who had watched the whole scene unfold until now.  
The Ravenclaw realised that even if Sehun wanted to help him and argue back, he had no means to do so. He was mute.  
And could only communicate through Jongin or by writing. The brunet swallowed as he took in his friend’s features, brows narrowed and teeth slightly bared. His hand was buried in his robe’s pocket and Jongin realised with a frightening start what the other was planning.  
/Sehun, no!/

The other was trembling with anger and Jongin wanted to reach out, wanted to stop him but the Slytherin had already drawn his wand, pointed it at the student that had sent Jongin sprawled on the floor and, with a flick of the polished wood, made him fall over, completely immobile.  
“Bloody hell! He cursed him! That fucker-“

Sehun scowled and pointed his wand at the smaller male, his eyes narrowed dangerously.  
/Sehun stop this!/ Jongin tried but the other didn’t listen.

Another curse flew through the air, but instead of falling over like his friend did the plump guy jump in surprise as golden stars exploded before him, Sehun’s curse broken before it could hit its target.  
All eyes landed on Professor Wu who had just stepped inside the room, eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Oh Sehun.” His voice was darker than Jongin had ever heard it, and his stomach plummeted. This could not be good.  
His hand reached out, tangling the blonde’s fingers with his, squeezing. His mind searched for the right words to say, for any form of encouragement or anything along the lines of ‘I’ve got you, I’ll take the blame for this.’ But nothing left his mouth. Neither did he transfer any of that to the other through their mind link. He felt frozen, still shocked at how easily Sehun had drawn his wand and thrown curses at other students.  
Just because of him.

“Come to the headmistress’ office. Now.”

The blonde shook of his hand, neither meeting Jongin’s eyes nor offering a single word for him and followed the professor out.

⚡⚡⚡

**A/N:**  
_Hey…. uhm I know this has been an awful long wait??? But here is the new chapter??_  
I’m really sorry  >< I lost my muse for this but recently I got inspired again so I decided to finally pick this up again!  
Thank you for waiting!

_And thank you for reading of course ^^  
See you soon! I intend to finish this haha and be faster this time_


	3. Three

 

Shit.  
Shit, shit, shit. They were in deep shit. Being ordered to the headmistress’ office never entailed something good, because if it did the headmistress would seek you out first to tell you the good news.  
Professor Wu had looked angry – and most of all disappointed. Jongin had never seen the professor in such a state like when he had ordered Sehun to follow him.

But why had the other not protested?

Instead, with his eyes cast to the floor, he had followed the professor out of the potions classroom and out of Jongin’s sight. The blonde hadn’t even tried to make a point, to make it clear that it hadn’t been his fault, but that they had been bullied by the very same guys who were now smirking victoriously at each other.  
And Jongin?  
He had been frozen in place, a weird sensation tingling through his body as he saw the defeated look on Sehun’s face.  
Why had he not moved?  
Why had he not opened his mouth?  
Why had he not called the bullies out?  
These thoughts kept running through his head and he cussed under his breath, blaming himself.

It made no sense and Jongin hated it.

“Have you seen him?” he heard one of the bullies snicker behind him.  
“He even looked all guilty! Serves him right, that ugly pureblood. He knows he’s fucked up!” they boasted together and Jongin felt his fists shaking with anger.  
The brunet wanted to reach for his wand, wanted to hex them so bad they wouldn’t even remember his name.  
But he was a Ravenclaw and it was obvious that they had the upper-hand in a three to one duel as none of his other classmates seemed ready to step in.  
Where were those bloody Gryffindors when you needed them?

In Charms class with the Hufflepuffs, his brain provided, but that was definitely beside the point.  
“He’s not guilty,” Jongin pressed out between clenched teeth, his hand now in his robe’s pocket where he had his wand, “You provoked him!”  
He couldn’t strike first though – it would only get him in even more trouble. But self-defence was something else.  
His grip tightened around the thin hornbeams wood, but he stood his ground. He didn’t cast a whispered Flipendo or anything else, even when they started laughing at him.  
“You’re terrible! He will clear this up and then it will be the three of you who will be the laughing stock! Just so you know!” he growled, his teeth bared as he made a few steps backward.  
“And how should he?” the tallest bully snickered, his lips pulled into an ugly smirk “He’s bloody mute!”

The three of them burst into fits of laughter, patting each other’s shoulders as if they had just won the Housecup.  
Jongin bit the inside of his cheek, his knuckles turning white as his fingernails dug into his own skin. Sehun was not –

Only that he was.  
Jongin stilled, revelation washing over him as if he had been plunged into the Great Lake. Sehun _was_ mute – just because Jongin could hear him did that not change anything about this fact.  
The Ravenclaw was the only one in Hogwarts who was able to connect to Sehun via their thoughts. He was the only one able to hear – to understand – the blonde Slytherin.

Dread settled over him. His legs nearly gave away when he willed them to move, but then he finally turned on his heels and ran out of the classroom, something that he should have done the moment Sehun left it.

He should have followed, even if he had felt like frozen in place. It had probably been shock, but his friend needed him.  
Perhaps the headmistress knew a spell that allowed Sehun to talk and explain for a moment, but perhaps there was no such thing and he would have to write it out. Explain in sign-language?  
Whatever it was, Jongin should be there to help.

This whole thing only happened because of him anyway – Sehun had tried to defend him from the bullies when they had started to get physical with him for standing up to them. And what had he done?  
Watched silently as Professor Wu took him away.

“Bloody hell!” he cursed as he ran up the stairs, praying that they wouldn’t change directions until he had reached the right floor.  
Two more up and he finally opened the door to the corridor that led to the headmistress office.  
Or more like that held the staircase leading to the office – a staircase that needed a password in order to activate it.

Jongin came to a stop, his lungs protesting after he had pushed himself so hard. They were burning from the lack of oxygen, but he took a few deep breaths to calm them down. For now this was a dead-end for him anyway.  
“Rowena’s Brains…” he muttered as he examined the marble statues blocking the way. There was no way in hell he would get past those without the password…  
And he didn’t have that.

Nausea settled over him as a sense of helplessness threatened to overwhelm him. Ravenclaw’s were good in solving riddles – but there was no riddle to solve that would grant him access to the staircase. He didn’t have a single clue to even get started on this. There had been a headmaster who loved to use the name of sweets, but their headmistress?  
Jongin didn’t know enough about her to even make a guess on that matter. He swallowed the lump in his throat, his hand touching the statues, trying to find out if there was some kind of additional mechanical trigger… but there was nothing.  
Not a single part of these statues was loose enough to pose as a secret lever.

“Bloody brilliant…” he cursed and let his back meet the nearest wall, a sigh ripping from his lips. What was he supposed to do now?  
Sehun needed him!  
His eyes travelled back to the hidden staircase and as strange as it sounded, he knew that the Slytherin was there – it was as if the bond told him. The feeling was nothing new if he was honest, they were able to find each other easily… especially if they hadn’t seen each other for a while. The bond kind of demanded them to spend time together…  
And to touch.

A blush crept up his cheeks and Jongin tried to fight it back down. This was definitely not the time nor the place for this.  
He had a mission – the Ravenclaw had to explain the situation and thus safe his friend. Better yet, take the blame all together. Sehun already had enough on his platter.

And he only had Jongin to share it with.

He was the only one he could really talk to – the only one he could connect with quite literally. And Jongin realised with a start that he was the only one probably who had ever heard Sehun laugh.  
Whole-heartedly and even though it had been at Jongin’s expense, as he had messed something up yet again, it had been a moment to remember – the way Sehun’s laughter had travelled through their mental link and rung in his ears.

Jongin still remembered it vividly.

His fingertips started to tingle and the weird tug in his chest grew more prominent – the feeling that told him to go see Sehun, only that sturdy marble was keeping them apart.

“Let me through, please…” Jongin tried, pleading with the statues despite his better judgement. This place was magical – and there were enough people who claimed that Hogwarts had a soul. So it was worth a shot.  
Only that it missed.  
The statues stayed still – unmoving, unyielding in their command to hide and guard this place.

The Ravenclaw felt lost and powerless in this moment as he was out of options. All but one.  
Jongin swallowed, realising that he still had this last ace up his sleeve.

It wasn’t easy – it had never been for him when it seemed as simple as breathing to Sehun. To Jongin it was like being faced with a wall, quite similar to the very situation right now.  
A tall, thick wall of bricks that he needed to tear down in order to get through to the other. To open the link between them on his biding because once it was open he had no problem to maintain it. The difficult part was to find an ‘opening’ that would allow him to push his thoughts over to the other side, where Sehun could receive them.  
The blonde’s mind was always locked tight – as if it was a vault with precious treasures inside that must not be found.

Jongin reckoned that the explanation sounded quite awful, but fortunately it wasn’t like he had to explain it to anyone. Sehun could probably understand without much additional explanation, though the Ravenclaw still wondered how the Slytherin could get through that much easier than him.  
If he was honest, the brunet admitted that it never felt like his personal victory once a connection was established on his demand – it always felt like Sehun actually let him in. As if he left the door ajar for him to find and to open after he had gotten rid of anything that Jongin was not allowed to see.

To feel.

And Jongin knew that he wanted to clear this up between them. He wanted Sehun to know that he could trust him and that he did not need to build up defences because of him.  
They were… friends. Friends could trust and count on each other after all, right? Despite that sounding like a typical Gryffindor-cliché, Jongin found himself liking it quite a lot.

/Stop that. Your annoying thoughts are too loud for me to bear – I need to concentrate./

Jongin froze as the voice of the other invaded his mind as effortlessly as always. It sounded strained, but it was unmistakably his bounded Slytherin who was talking to him.  
/Sehun! Tell her to let me in! I will clear things up! It wasn’t your fault and if they dock Housepoints or give you detention it would be all wrong! Let me help!/ he all but screamed through the opening in their minds, trying to push through everything that was bugging him in a cascade of words that rushed toward the blonde.

/Shut up. I don’t need anyone’s help. Get lost./  
/But- / the door was slammed shut, sealed tightly with no way for Jongin to get through to Sehun again.

He stood there completely dumbfounded as the link was cut off from the Slytherin’s side, leaving him shivering from a coldness that was not there.

Panic settle over him and the nausea returned to him full force, threatening to overwhelm him as confusion mixed with worry. What in Rowena’s name was going on up there?  
Were they threatening Sehun?  
Punishing him for something he only did to keep Jongin safe? It was his fault! His bloody fault and Sehun was innocent!  
Jongin’s hands were trembling as the worst kind of fear licked at him, pooling into his stomach where it lodged its icy claws inside of him.

What if they expelled him?

And what if Sehun thought it was Jongin’s fault?

His eyes widened as his breath nearly failed him, making him choke and curl his hands in an attempt to defend himself from something that could not be fought as it was inside of him.  
The sole idea of Sehun despising him made him want to double over and puke, and by the way his knees were buckling was he not too far from this becoming reality.

Jongin’s whole body started to quake and he came to the realisation that some part of this felt oddly foreign to him. He was scared – he was completely out of his mind, but the nausea… the urge to puke until nothing was left inside of him was not his.

It was Sehun’s.  
And that could only mean that something was terribly wrong – that whatever was going on up there had taken the wrong turn and that all of Jongin’s fears were justified.  
They were threatening him – or they had already expelled him. Whatever it was, it nearly caused him to drop to his knees and to throw up in Sehun’s stead.

What stopped him though – what got his attention before he could throw up in the middle of a corridor of Hogwarts – was a sudden noise that sounded suspiciously like stone rubbing stone. He whipped his head around, focusing on the marble statues that suddenly started to move. They moved aside in two heavy, slow steps before they settled again as if they hadn’t been revived by magic. Rattling noises echoed through the hallway as stairs grew out of the wall that led upstairs in a spiral around a big pillar.  
His first instinct was to run upstairs – to finally get to the blonde’s side and explain everything that had happened. To make them understand that nothing had been Sehun’s fault.  
And to make those three bullies get their rightful punishment.

To at least be there for the other, listen to the chiding and offer support in form of his presence. But yet again, his legs did not move. They didn’t feel like jelly anymore, but instead as if they had turned into roots, keeping him in place.  
“Rowena’s brains what’s going on!?” He hissed as he tried to make them move, to make a step towards the staircase.  
But nothing happened. He could wriggle as much as he wanted – his legs would not budge.

Knots formed in his stomach and his hand was back in his robe’s pocket, fishing for his wand as it occurred to him that this could not be his consciousness keeping him from moving.  
He might not be a reckless Gryffindor, but he was ready to stand up for his friend.

This was a spell.

And if it was – ‘Immobulus’ most likely – then he would be able to dissolve it with a ‘Finite Incantatem’ if he was skilled enough. Which he should be, judging by his ‘outstanding’ grades in Charms, but he had not the slightest inkling of an idea who had cast the spell in the first place so he might be inferior to this person’s magic.  
The moment his fingers wrapped around the hornbeam’s wood however, the whole world seemed to still. Footsteps echoed through the hallway, the sounds of boots clicking against marble stairs getting louder and louder until his eyes caught swept-back blonde locks.  
Sehun descended the stairs with an air of superiority around him, his face stoic, expressionless. In this very moment, he looked every bit the mute ice prince that the Hogwarts students made him out to be.

This was not the Sehun Jongin knew. Not the cute, funny Slytherin he came to know.

But finally he would be able to mend things, right? The fact that his feet were still glued in place had been pushed to the back of his mind, blended out at the other’s presence alone.  
Jongin’s lips pulled into a small smile as his mouth started to form the other’s name. Yet, the brunet had to watch in utter disbelief when his friend frowned at him and passed him without another word.

“Sehun! Hey, wait!” Jongin yelled after him, willing his legs to move but the bloody Immobulus charm was still in place, holding him back.  
“Damn it!” he cursed loudly, his eyes flicking from Sehun’s retreating form to his traitorous feet. His hand pulled out his wand, flicking it as he pronounced the dispelling charm loud and clear.  
“Finite Incantatem!”

A light blue glow settled over him as the spell tried to break through the other wizards’ magic, trying to open up the ends, to unwind it.  
It took an awful long time, longer than Jongin had thought possible for this kind of spell, but eventually he could rip himself free.  
Nearly stumbling over his own two legs due to his new-found freedom, he called after the Slytherin while trying to catch up to him.

He dashed down the hallway, but the blonde was nowhere to be found anymore. No sound resonating through the corridor that could indicate the direction the other had taken. And Jongin knew that latest with the great staircase he would be lost. Sehun could have gone anywhere and with his luck the stairs would have changed at least three times by the time he got there.  
“Sehun… why?”

Their link was shut tight and though he could feel the Slytherin’s presence, it felt dull. Like a flame at the verge of extinguishing and no matter how hard he focused he couldn’t locate Sehun’s presence more precisely than ‘close’.  
Not yet far away.

But judging by the other’s look… the cold expression he had worn when he had come down from the headmistress’ office… he couldn’t say what would happen next.  
It couldn’t be a trivial matter – Sehun would never behave like that if that was the case. Even though there was a small voice inside his head, that sounded suspiciously like Taemin’s, that told him that he barely knew the Slytherin for a month… Jongin was sure of it.

He knew the other on levels no one else would be able to understand… and the feeling of Sehun being mad at him, of not even acknowledging his existence… tore him apart.  
The icy feeling in his stomach spread, bile rising in his throat and this time it was all him. The urge to puke and empty his stomach right here and there was all his, his worry, his fear.

His vision grew blurry and he let himself lean against the cold castle wall behind him as the corridor in front of him got fuzzier until he had to squeeze his eyes shut in order to stop the nausea from growing.

Once his legs had lost all strength, once he slid down the wall until he reached the hallway’s floor, he realised that it had been the tears that had called forth the blurring. They kept coming, rolling down his cheeks as he sobbed helplessly, his chest feeling empty.

He had no idea what had happened.  
Jongin hadn’t asked Sehun to help him, hadn’t asked to jinx the bully. And he hadn’t asked for Sehun to get punished. Professor Wu had taken the Slytherin away without asking any questions… and perhaps was their potions professor the right person to talk to now.  
Jongin could try to explain the situation to him, as getting to the headmistress herself wasn’t that easy and his problem hardly qualified as a typical emergency – though to him it certainly did.  
  
A strangled cry escaped him, his nostrils flaring as he tried to stop himself and breathe steadily instead. Why was Sehun treating him like that?

And why did it hurt so much?  
It couldn’t just be the bond. It couldn’t. This hurt in a different way. It wasn’t his whole body feeling amiss, feeling wrong.  
This pain was lodged deeply inside a single place.

His heart.

 

A/N:  
This came way faster than you expected, huh?  
I told you I would work hard now and I really intend to finish this. It won’t have too many chapters but I will see it to the end!  
Thank you so much for reading and the comments you dropped on the last chapter!  
Any ideas on what happened to Sehun? :OO  
Jongin is really down… let’s see what happens!  
  
See you soon guys :D

Xoxo Voltage


	4. Four

⚡Chapter 4⚡ 

 

Jongin felt utterly miserable.  
The Ravenclaw was not sure he would ever be able to explain these feelings to anyone who had never shared a bond with another, but he could definitely start with saying that it bloody _hurt_. He was still in the hallway, looking after a blonde Slytherin who wasn’t there anymore and the longer he waited, the longer he stayed put, the chillier he felt. Jongin pulled his robes tighter around his body in an attempt to banish the cold when he knew deep inside that this was not caused by the wind howling through Hogwarts Castle.

This was solely caused by feeling locked out, the link between them, that was usually a warm presence in the back of his mind, frozen solid. Nothing could be transmitted. No voices, no emotions.  
Nothing.

Jongin exhaled shakily, willing his mind to concentrate and his legs to loosen up. He needed to focus, couldn’t let the emotions that started to bile in his stomach get the better of him until he understood what was happening. Why Sehun had left and why he had cut their connection like that.

No, not cut.  
Bloody blocked it, that stubborn snake.

Jongin exhaled, trying to reach out to the other. Yet, it felt to him as if the connection trembled, like a brittle leaf in a storm. Their bond was growing more and more fragile and that sent his heartbeat into a frenzy.  
Brilliant, he whined out.  
But he knew that he would gain nothing from remaining here and so he finally left the scene, descending through the grand staircase, while hoping that they wouldn’t put him through too many detours while going below the basement of the western tower where the Slytherin common room was located. It was the only logical place where Sehun would be and Jongin realised that he never had to really _search_  for the other before. Thanks to their bond he had always kind of known where the Slytherin was – he could simply concentrate on the other’s presence in his mind and follow that feeling until he bumped into him. But now when he tried to reach out… there was nothing but a thick, polished wall between them. The blonde’s presence wasn’t fully blocked from him,luckily. Jongin knew he was there at least – he knew he was alive… but that was basically it.

The brunet didn’t even want to imagine what would happen if…  
No.  
As soon as that thought had entered his mind had he banished it already. This was not up for debate and simply overdramatic.

So where would you look for a Slytherin student? In the dungeons obviously. There were other places he would consider if the circumstances were different, but if Sehun wanted to avoid him… then this was the only logical call.  
The stairs took him down another floor and he passed the Potions classroom that sent another shiver down his body. After that accident he wasn’t sure if he could ever stir a potion again without flinching at the quietest sizzle from the kettle.  
His feet eventually carried him to the door of the Slytherin common room where he stopped, exhaling. What was he thinking? Running after the other like that… if Sehun wanted to avoid him he would simply not come out… and as Jongin himself was a Ravenclaw was there no way in hell that he could go inside.  
A Polyjuice Potion might work but that involved brewing said thing and at that Jongin was already out. Besides, he wasn’t the best in Potions to begin with. Sehun would-

Sehun.

It had felt like someone had dumped freezing water over him the moment he realised that he could not reach the other, back in the corridor, and now he kept shivering as if his clothes were still wet. This was definitely not good. Jongin remembered how they had felt more and more miserable after the accident had happened until they had finally given in and had spent time with each other, had satisfied the bond through proximity and touches…  
And now that he couldn’t touch him at his leisure, satisfy the bond that kept them tied tightly – how long would it take for those headaches to come back?

Bloody hell, Jongin muttered under his breath. He needed to solve this quickly and make up with Sehun. Whatever had happened there would be a logical explanation. And the brunet was a Ravenclaw – he could deal with logic.

What had he done to make the other react like that?  
The brunet had thought that they were in this together, and really this had been his fault too! They should have simply ignored those bullies whose names he didn’t even know.  
But instead, Sehun was the one who had been taken to the Headmistress office and not them. It had even felt like the blonde was trying to protect him.  
But now… he wasn’t even letting him through in their shared link.

He didn’t have to, Jongin would have followed and explained and…

“Are you going to ssstand there all day?”  
“Yah!” Jongin yelped as a female voice rung through the empty corridor all of a sudden. Weren’t people supposed to be in class? (Like he himself?)  
“Where- Who?” the brunet turned around, looking left and right and even up to the ceiling as he was trying to find out who had spoken. There was no one.  
Had it been one of the ghosts?

“Where are you looking at, little sssparrow…”  
Jongin swallowed, his heart thundering in his chest as this was too spooky… why was it now of all times that a ghost was trying to pull a prank on him?  
“Go away! Whoever you are I don’t have time to play with you!!” he tried and stepped closer to the Slytherin door, hoping that the ghost would not pop out of any wall.  
“I can’t, little sssparrow. I’m kind of made of ssstone…” said the voice in an exasperate tone. Jongin blinked at that, realising that the voice was coming from his right.  
And then things finally moved into place as he realised that the pattern of the door that he hadn’t paid much attention to, was actually the body of a snake.  
And the head… was detached from the wood of the door, looking at him with tiny emerald eyes.  
“Rowena’s brains…” he muttered, staring.

The snake shook its head, tilting it.  
“Sssparrows do not nessst here. Ssstate your businesss or leave.”

Okay. No problem. He was in a magical castle for magical students. A talking stone snake should not take him by surprise. But he should seriously consider asking Sehun why he had never mentioned this… peculiar door.

“I…” he narrowed his eyes, eying the head of the snake with interest. How did it work? Wondered the ever curious Ravenclaw in him. Not that he would get an answer to that – Hogwarts was full of enchanted things and his skills were probably far too undeveloped to even understand the first step of such complex magic.

“You are ssspeechless at my presssence, I reckon.” Said the snake and Jongin pouted at that. That thing was poking fun at him! Just great. Exactly what he needed right now.  
“I am not! I am looking for someone!”  
“And who might that be?” the stone figure asked, waiting for him to continue.  
“A Slytherin student. Sehun. Oh Sehun. Tall, blonde, mute-“  
“You do not need to dessscribe my ssstudents to me, sssparow…” the snake hissed, placing its head on the handle of the door as if to emphasise that Jongin could not enter.  
“The one you ssseek is not home.”

Jongin blinked.  
“What? But- he has to. Are you sure?”  
“Are you tesssting my patience, bird?” the statue pressed, unmoving except for its tongue that came slithering out repeatedly.  
“N-no I just…” Jongin bit the inside of his cheek. This was definitely not good. If Sehun was not in the dungeons then…

“Very well, young sssparrow. Your bounded is not here. Try your luck elsssewhere.”  
“But-“  
Too late.  
The stone lay still. Nothing gave away that the figure had been moving, had been brought alive by magic.  
And Sehun was not here. He doubted that the snake had lied to him – she could have simply announced that he did not want to speak to him, which was exactly what he had expected. But now he was left without any clues, though it meant…  
Sehun could be anywhere in the castle.

Jongin sighed, trying his hardest to ignore the ache in his chest and set his foot in motion again. It would take him some time to get all the way up to the Ravenclaw common room and it would get him in trouble with his teachers tomorrow, but he simply did not feel like going back to class right now.  
Dropping face first onto his bed sounded alluring though and that was exactly what he did, after another detour thanks to the stairs and a riddle he barely had a mind for solving.

  
⚡⚡⚡

 

After that small nap he had taken the day had dragged on tediously. In the late hours he had gone to see Madam Kwon and asked her for some potion that would make him sleep fast and deep. She had eyed him with worried eyes and as she was informed about his … special circumstances, offered to excuse him for today’s lessons he had missed.  
He had been so thankful that he nearly hugged her.

But she was still school staff and so he had refrained from that. The potion had been quite potent, he had found out later when he was clad in his pyjamas and ready to just ignore the annoying pull he felt for Sehun. If he could – if only he could – he would have given in immediately, searching proximity with the Slytherin student that would not only ease the bond but also his mind.  
They were friends, bloody hell! Even if they weren’t tied together like that he worried for the other. And he didn’t want the blonde to be cross with him for whatever reason…  
If only he knew what was wrong in the first place…

Thoughts like that were the very reason he had unstopped the phial, chugging down the clear liquid as fast as he could without choking on it.  
And before he had placed the now empty container on his bedside table did his vision already begin to get hazy.  
He closed his eyes, curled into a ball and let the darkness welcome him.

  
⚡⚡⚡

  
Sehun was not at breakfast.  
His Wake-Up Charm had made sure that he did not oversleep and he had been mindful enough to actually set it one hour earlier than usual, coming down to the Great Hall the moment they started to serve breakfast.  
If Sehun wanted to grab something to eat without anyone around, coming early was the only possibility and Jongin wouldn’t be a Ravenclaw if he hadn’t thought of that.

So he was here, sitting on the deserted Ravenclaw table while nibbling on a simple slice of bread. A few Hufflepuffs had joined him in the hall too and a single Slytherin girl was seated facing the wall and away from him.

No Sehun.  
And even when other students piled in the blonde did not show up. Taemin had plopped down next to him by now, ignoring all house rules as always and eating his beloved croissants he needed to function in the mornings, but Jongin’s attention was elsewhere. His eyes continued the study the entrance, his mind sharpened to react to any sign of Sehun’s presence should he finally make an appearance.  
Nothing.  
His fingers were drumming a restless tune on the table top, the discomfort growing. He wished he could pull on the bond, could make Sehun come to him instead of waiting like some forgotten puppy. But Sehun had much better control of their bond and didn’t let him through. Was the other feeling anything like him even?

Jongin didn’t know.

“Trouble in paradise again? Or why are you looking for your boyfriend like that?”  
Of course Taemin was trying to tease him. Of course.

“Taem…” Jongin mumbled, his hand coming up to massage his temples. Not that it would help to dissipate the feelings inside of him. But perhaps his best friend would understand that he was really not in the mood for this.  
“Yes?”  
“Please. I have no idea where he is.”  
His friend tilted his head at that and after a long sigh and a big swallow of his tea did Jongin fill the other in. About the class, the bullies and what had happened after, motioning for him to be still until he had finished. Surprisingly, the other complied.  
“Wow, shit.” Taemin finally said, blinking. “That doesn’t sound good. And that bond of yours…”  
“Is like blocked. Yeah. It’s… wearing me out, Taem. I’m used to feel and see him every day and now… I can’t even speak to him. It’s terrible.” he whined and ruffled his brown locks.  
“I’m worried too… he’s my friend. I … I want to apologise, for whatever I did.”  
His best friend hummed at that, his eyes narrowing slightly.  
“Sorry mate, but I can’t really see anything that you have done… I hope he comes clean about it… perhaps it’s something else that upsets him.”

“Perhaps…” was all that Jongin could say as he let out another tired sigh. His friend squeezed his shoulder, trying to encourage him but Jongin couldn’t take any comfort from that. Stupid bond that made him want Sehun’s touch that much more.

For what purpose had such bonds even be created? They were troublesome.

A flutter of a dark coat caught his attention then and he got up from the bench, excusing himself before hurrying to the door. Professor Wu had just exited, and Jongin guessed that he might have some insight.  
Anything would help, really.

“Professor!” he called, catching up to the Potions Master who stopped, turning around to face him.  
“Ah, Mister Kim. What can I do for you?”  
“It’s about Sehun!” he exclaimed immediately.  
“I can’t… I can’t find him anywhere… Can you tell me what the Headmistress told him? Please…”

The professor frowned at that. In a way, Jongin was glad that it had been Professor Wu involved in the incident yesterday. At least he knew about him and Sehun. Being Bound that was.  
He motioned for him to follow him down the hallway to a more secluded area where the professor stopped, crossing his arms over his chest.  
“I’m sorry Mister Kim. That’s confidential. Is everything alright with the bond?”  
The brunet sighed.  
“Please, Mister Kim. If something is wrong we need to examine it immediately. We cannot have the bond affect you negatively until the remedy is ready. It might be dangerous.”  
Jongin worried his lower lip between his teeth. He knew that. And still, it felt weird discussing the bond with someone else. No one else could really _understand_  him. Understand how it felt like.  
“Sehun has me blocked. He is avoiding me since you took him to the Headmistress yesterday and… I’m worried. I feel fidgety… I need to see him.”

The Professor frowned at that, pulling out his wand and casting a quick charm over him.  
“I see. Your magic is disorientated. It would indeed be wise to search proximity soon, Mister Kim.”  
“But I can’t!” Jongin protested, feeling frustrated, “I don’t know where he is. And he is avoiding me after whatever happened in the Headmistress’ office!”

“As far as I know, Mister Kim, Mister Oh received a few hours of detention for his misbehaviour. It could be far worse. I don’t see why he would be avoiding you, seeing as you are bonded…”  
The Ravenclaw was ready to pull his hair out. Why was the Professor not trying to help? Was this not pressing enough as it had barely been a day?  
How long could they be kept apart until the bond would cause greater damage? The brunet felt like left in the dark, without his wand to cast a ‘Lumos’.  
Jongin sighed.  
“If he got detention, then perhaps I can find him while he tends to that. I was at fault too… I should actually join him…” he tried, looking up to the Professor in an attempt to make him feel pity. Wasn’t it enough that they were bonded? Shouldn’t that excuse him in the first place? Of course he needed to be close to Sehun and Professor Wu knew that better than anyone actually!  
His hands balled into fists and the heat rose in his body, the magic of the bond being upset at being kept apart like that.  
Then, a large hand landed on his shoulder and the Professor let out a long sigh, looking at him with a gaze that tried to tell him that he understood.

_But no one really did._

“Mister Kim. First, I advise to keep a close eye on your magic and your emotions while this predicament is not solved.” Professor Wu whispered. Their bond was not something the whole school body should know of.  
“I will, Professor. So can you finally tell me what kind of detention the Headmistress dished out?” Jongin pressed, the anxiety rising in him.  
It felt like he was finally close to open a door, but the Professor was not ready to step aside yet.  
“It won’t help you Mister Kim, I am sorry. But I promise that I will try to talk to Mister Oh when I come across him. The detention was set for the Forbidden Forest after curfew. As a Ravenclaw, I trust you to know that the location and the time make it impossible for you to catch Mister Oh at the occasion. Please stay put. The bond will make him come to you eventually.”

Jongin blinked, his mind trying to make sense of what he had just heard.  
“The Forbidden Forest?”  
“Yes.” The Professor nodded, “I will talk to him. Go see Madam Kwon as soon as you feel strange changes with the bond or your magic. Now excuse me.”

And with that Professor Wu turned around, his cloak fluttering as he made for the staircase down the corridor.

Bloody hell.  
Jongin had expected anything but not the Forbidden Forest. It has been off limits for years! The only ones who received permission to enter were students excelling in Herbology or Potions in company of their professor.  
What did detention in this case even mean?

Jongin grit his teeth together as anger shook him. Sehun did not deserve this punishment! He had only tried to defend himself against those bullies, and if anyone would have cared to actually question some witnesses… the Headmistress would have known the truth as well.  
The brunet was pissed.  
And he would definitely find out what was going on.  
First, he would find a way to enter the Forbidden Forest on his own and join Sehun with whatever task he had been given. That would hopefully lead to the blonde telling him what was wrong.  
And then he would make sure to get an audience with the Headmistress.  
But for that, Sehun had to comply as well.

A grumble left him.

First things first. He needed to find a way to sneak out after curfew – which definitely sounded like the hardest part as well. Too bad they banned invisibility cloaks. That would come in handy, which also explained why they were banned from the Ministry.  
Jongin ruffled his hair and decided that he needed to speak with Taemin about this. After all, was his best friend a Slytherin after all so if anyone had experience in being sneaky, it would be him.  
But for now the brunet clung to the sliver of Sehun’s presence in his mind, feeding of the feeling that it brought and hoped that that would be enough to help him through class.

  
⚡⚡⚡

 

Halfway through Charms, the professor suggested Jongin to leave and look for Madam Kwon. The brunet felt exhausted and the way his magic was running havoc by now inside of him did not help. Every Spell or Charm he had tried to execute had backfired to the point that the security of the other students couldn’t be guaranteed anymore.  
So he had left.

The bond strained, as if one of them was trying to walk through the bubble that was supposed to keep them close. It hurt, tugging at his insides, sending his magic wild.  
Jongin didn’t even understand! It had barely been twenty-four hours since he had last seen the blonde and he was already feeling like this?  
“Oh dear,” came the gentle voice of the nurse, “you look terribly my dear. Lay down. The bond?”  
Jongin only nodded, climbing one of the beds and bottoming out immediately. Resting felt nice – but it was no cure to the storm that was raging inside of him.

“I’m sorry, dear,” the female mumbled and put some vial on the bedside table. “the bond must be really upset for you to feel like this. I have received note of your Charms professor about your magic… this potion might help.”  
Might.  
That didn’t sound so convincing but what other choice did he have? So he drank the potion, emptying the bottle to the last drop.  
“I don’t want to hurt anyone…” he muttered “My magic is… I can’t explain. It feels like a torrent that has no guidance…”  
Did that even make sense? Jongin didn’t know how else to describe this so he tried.  
“I am not very versed in Bond magic, Mister Kim, but my guess is that your magic is looking for the one of Mister Oh. You are used to being connected and to balance each other out. As you are currently lacking said connection, it’s going wild, not knowing where to go. The potion should cancel that for a while. I’ll give you another bottle should the feeling become overwhelming again.”

Everything was overwhelming right now.

Jongin just wanted this perpetual strain to go away. He wanted Sehun to be there. He wanted them to poke fun at each other and he wanted to know what in all hells he had done wrong.

/Sehun…/

Silence.

“Thank you.” Jongin muttered, closing his eyes for a moment. The nurse squeezed his hand then in what was supposed to be encouraging and left him alone after another moment.  
The potion was coming to work quickly and soon enough he basically felt as if his magic had been drawn out of him, leaving him empty.  
It was scary, feeling an even bigger void, but he mused that it was better than setting anything on fire by accident.  
“By Salazar, Jongin!”  
The brunet whipped his head around just in time to see his best friend close to door of the medical wing behind him. Well, that certainly made it easier to tell the other of his plans. No need to look for him at lunch.  
“Yes?” he hummed, tired and empty.  
“This whole bonding business is getting too serious…” Taemin grumbled, plopping down on the edge of the bed. “You need to get it lifted as soon as you can! Finding you here was definitely not what I imagined when you told me ‘see you later’ at breakfast!”  
“Me neither.” Jongin said, shrugging his shoulders.  
“I just need to see and talk to him, then I’ll be better. Have you seen him in the dorms?”  
Taemin’s lips formed a thin line before he shook his head.  
“Nothing. Believe me, if I saw him, I would have beaten some sense into him!”  
“Taem!” Jongin yelled, his hand going for his wand in his pants pocket.  
“You won’t hurt him!” he growled, deeply, his nostrils flaring as a weird sense of anger and protectiveness took hold of him.  
“You won’t even lay a finger on him…” the grip on his wand tightened, his eyes narrowed as he watched the face of his best friend.

His hand opened.

He gasped, nearly choking on the air that filled his lungs.  
Bloody hell-  
“I’m sorry!” he breathed out, panting. His eyes locked with the dark brown of his best friend who watched him warily.  
“It’s…. alright….” But he could see that it was not.  
Jongin’s shoulders shook slightly as he tried to straighten his back, placing his wand on the bedside table. What in Rowena’s name had he been about to do?  
This was madness!

“I… it’s the bond. I need to see him. He must be feeling some effects as well.”  
At that did the Slytherin pull up his eyebrows.  
“This bond goes two ways. If I am feeling side effects… he must be as well. Don’t look like that. He _is_  a good guy. Perhaps everything is just a big misunderstanding.”  
He really hoped it was.  
“Taem, please…”  
“I don’t like this, Jongin. I’m being honest. This bond… it’s making you go crazy.” And before Jongin could send him a glare he added a quick “both of you, if you will.”  
“We just need to satisfy it again and we will be okay…”  
“Fine.” Taemin muttered. “Fine, okay? I help. What do you need?”

Jongin smiled a little, his muscles relaxing slightly. He hadn’t even realised that he had been this tense before.

“I need to sneak out tonight. After curfew.”  
Taemin once again frowned at that, but eventually shrugged his shoulders as if not impressed. Typical for Slytherins, right? Of course, they would know a way how to get out after curfew. Probably passed down from generation to generation or something.  
“Can probably be done. And then? Where do you need to go? Where is he?”

“The Forbidden Forest.”

And _that_  has Taemin’s eyes finally widen in surprise.

 

 

 

**A/N:**  
And it has been an awful long time again~ I apologise ^^” The summer has been really hot over here so even thinking about working on my burning laptop has had me sweating…  
So sorry for the long wait  ><  
I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Need to get the hang of this again….  
Thanks for reading!!

Don’t we all want to know what’s up with Sehun :P

Xoxo Voltage

**Author's Note:**

> Dear prompter! Thank you so much for giving me this wonderful idea ;D This is really short, but it is kind of supposed to be just the first part of their adventure together... haha >< So if you liked it so far I would be more than happy to continue this for you!  
> Thanks to the Mod for being so utterly lovely and patient!!  
> Thanks to L for betaing this for me. I'd be dead without you. Like always.  
> OTL
> 
>  
> 
> Working on the next chapter ^^ Please stay tuned!


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